The present disclosure relates to a fixing device configured to fix a toner image onto a recording medium and an image forming apparatus including the fixing device.
Conventionally, an electrographic image forming apparatus, such as a copying machine or a printer, includes a fixing device configured to fix a toner image onto a recording medium, such as a sheet. For the fixing device, a belt fixing manner is applied. The belt fixing manner is a manner to form a fixing nip by making a fixing belt and a pressuring member (e.g. a pressuring roller) come into pressure contact with each other.
For example, there is a fixing device including a fixing belt arranged rotatably, a pressuring member configured to come into pressure contact with the fixing belt so as to form a fixing nip, a heating member configured such that the fixing belt is sandwiched between the heating member and the pressuring member and a pressing member configured such that the fixing belt is sandwiched between the pressing member and the pressuring member.
In the fixing device configured as described above, an individual difference of each component or the like inevitably causes a force which moves the fixing belt to a side (one end side or the other end side). According to this, when the fixing belt is greatly moved to the side, there is a concern that the fixing belt comes into contact with a member arranged outside the fixing belt and thereby the fixing belt is buckled or damaged.